HEAR OUR INTERVIEW WITH SAN SAN DIEGO CONCERT BAND–AND A PREVIEW OF THE APRIL 17 SPRINGTIME CLASSICS CONCERT
March 17, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – This week, we sat down for an interview with Chuck Brown and Roy Anthony, the founder and conductor of the San Diego Concert Band. This talented musical group has its roots in La Mesa and will be performing its 26th annual Springtime Classics concert on April 17th at 7 p.m. Kroc Center. The event will feature a wide range of music, from Sousa marches to classical works of Verdi, Wagner, and a world premier piece performed by the San Diego Clarinet Quartet. Hear our exclusive interview online now (originally aired on KNSJ 89.1 FM radio): https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/audio/2019/August/Newsmakers-SD%20Concert%20Band-ChuckBown%26RoyAnthony.mp3 Brown and Anthony share details on the concert and the band’s efforts to win a national John Philip Sousa award. In addition, Anthony discusses the inspiring triumph over cancer by his son, a Mount Miguel High School alumni and organizer of a recent “Cancer Blows” concert with Doc Severinson and the Dallas Symphony. Plus hear a sneak preview of music from the upcoming concert on our show. For concert tickets and details on additional upcoming performances all summer long, visit http://www.sandiegoconcertband.com/
CHARGERS ADD VETERAN RECEIVER JOHNSON
March 17, 2015 (San Diego) – The San Diego Chargers agreed to contract terms with veteran free agent wide receiver Stevie Johnson on a three-year contract, the team announced Tuesday. Entering his eighth NFL season, Johnson (6-2, 207) has caught 336 passes for 4,267 yards and 31 touchdowns in 89 games. Originally a seventh-round selection (224th overall) by the Buffalo Bills in 2008 out of Kentucky, he played six seasons in Buffalo before being traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 2014. The 28-year-old caught 35 passes for 435 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games for the 49ers, highlighted by a nine-catch, 103-yard performance Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals. Johnson’s career took off in 2010, setting career highs in catches (82), yards (1,073) and touchdowns (10). He became the first player in Bills history to post three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (2010-12), recording at least 75 receptions each year. Johnson is the Bolts’ eighth addition during the free agency period. The team also added defensive back Jimmy Wilson (Miami), guard Orlando Franklin (Denver), and return specialist Jacoby Jones (Baltimore), and re-signed left tackle King Dunlap, cornerback Brandon Flowers, defensive end Ricardo Mathews and center Trevor Robinson.
SHERIFF’S COFFEE WITH THE COMMUNITY MARCH 24 IN SANTEE
East County News Service March 17, 2015 (Santee)–Santee’s Sheriff Station invites you to “Coffee with the Community” on Tuesday, March 24th from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. “Community outreach is a top priority of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Members of the community should feel comfortable bringing problems related to safety and security to our staff,” a press release from the Sheriff’s office states. The coffee event will be held at the Santee Sheriff’s Station conference room, 8811 Cuyamaca Street in Santee. Coffee with the Community gives the public a chance to chat with the Station’s Captain, Lieutenant, Crime Prevention Specialist and Deputies in a casual setting to exchange ideas and concerns over a free cup of coffee. Parking is limited. Additional parking is available in the Enterprise parking lot located next to the Santee Sheriff’s Station.
CHILLING NEWS: POLAR ICECAP MELTING FASTER THAN WE THOUGHT
By Miriam Raftery Photo: NASA March 17, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)–Here’s some chilling news. International team of scientists in Antarctica have reached disturbing conclusions, the Washington Post reports. An enormous glacier in East Antarctica has been destabilized by a trough of warm ocean water underneath, likely bringing about irreversible destabilization that will set in motion a sea level rise average over 10 feet worldwide. That’s not all. In December, other scientists found likely irreversible melting of glacial ice in West Antarctica capable of raising sea levels 11 feet. Do the math: that’s a potential rise of 21 feet from water released by these two ice masses alone. The Totten Glacier in East Antarctica is melting due to warm ocean water underneath. The 90-mile-long glacier holds back a larger ice catchment that could cause sea levels to rise dramatically. Lead study author Jamin Greenbaum at the University of Texas – yes, a conservative red state scientist—says that’s a “conservative limit.” The scientists used three types of measurements – gravitational, radar and laser altimetry, in flights over the ice to determine what was happening underneath the Totten Glacier – and learned that it is floating, not solid. Next up, they hope to use undersea drones to gather more scientific data. There’s even more bad news for those of us here in North America. Rising sea levels won’t be distributed evenly, due to gravity. Antarctica is so massive that it produces its own gravitational pull, tugging the ocean towards it. If it loses massive amounts of ice, the gravitational pull will be reduced and the ocean will slosh back toward the North Hemisphere. So here in the United States, the sea level could rise 25 percent higher than elsewhere. Ironically it’s the U.S. that has also pumped out the most greenhouse gases contributing to climate change, leading some to wryly observe that the planet may soon get its revenge. That won’t happen right away. Scientists predict it will take generations. So our descendants may someday see coastal San Diego underwater – and some inland areas may become beachfront property. Of course our children and their children may not be around to see these changes, since rapid climate change could also ultimately warm the planet to levels unsustainable for human life. Martin Siegert, a coauthor of the study from the Grantham Institute at Imperial College in London, concludes, “With warming oceans, it’s difficult to see how a process that starts now would be reversed, or reversible, in a warming world.”
SPRING BREAK ART CAMP ON MT. HELIX
March 17, 2016 (Mt. Helix)– Following a successful fall run, Art Smarts and Mt. Helix Park are partnering up again this spring to bring a one-of-a-kind kids’ art camp to East County. From March 30 through April 3, Art Smarts, which hosts after-school art programs throughout San Diego, will be offering Art In The Park – at Mt. Helix Park for kids ages 5 to 12. The camp coincides with the La Mesa Spring Valley and San Diego School District’s spring break and gives kids the opportunity to develop their creative skills from atop Mt. Helix Park with its inspirational views that span the entire county and beyond the border. Penelope Quirk, the founder of Art Smarts, Inc. has been bringing art to local kids for the past 10 years with her after-school program in 21 schools throughout San Diego. Lessons for the spring camp will use primarily oil pastels and watercolors and will vary from animal portraits to cartooning and even landscapes. The camp is expanding its hours to include a full-day camp option. Art In The Park camp fees for each child are $150 for half-day camp (9am until noon) and $275 for full-day camp (9am until 3pm). To register call Art Smarts, Inc. at (619) 944-3323 or (619) 995-1186 or download the registration form at www.mthelixpark.org and mail it in along with your payment before the March 27 registration deadline. Limited spaces are available so register early! Need-based scholarships are available; funding is provided by the Mt. Helix Park Foundation. For more information about Arts Smarts, Inc. CLICK HERE
IF YOU CALLED OUR MAGAZINE’S OFFICE AND DIDN”T GET A CALL BACK., PLEASE TRY AGAIN
March 17, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – Our office mascots have been mischievious. Our editor discovered her phone unplugged and her answering machine messages erased! Rex, our cat with a personality like Garfield, is the principal suspect, thought the dog did have a slightly guilty expression…must be the spirit of the leprechauns! If you left a message and did not get a call back, please call us again at 619-698-7617 or for longer messages, please e-mail editor@eastcountymagazine.org. (Thankfully these little rascals have not yet figured out how to delete e-mails…we hope.)
COUNTY, CITY, AND FIRE CHIEFS LAUNCH AED APP AND CROWDSOURCING CAMPAIGN
County News Service March 16, 2015 (San Diego)–Someone collapses nearby you at the gym, the store or even at work. They are showing the classic signs of sudden cardiac arrest: no heartbeat, no breathing. What do you do? How can you help? Finding and deploying an automated external defibrillator (AED) can help save a life in those critical minutes before a paramedic arrives. In fact, you’re twice as likely to survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest if you receive both cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and AED assistance, compared to CPR alone. Knowing where AEDs are located during an emergency is at the heart of a new crowdsourcing campaign launched by the County of San Diego, City of San Diego and San Diego County Fire Chiefs’ Association at a news conference Monday at the County’s Waterfront Park. The goal is to create a robust electronic map identifying the location of AEDs in the region, using a new app called PulsePoint AED. The PulsePoint AED app is the companion app to the PulsePoint Respond app, recently launched in San Diego County, which notifies nearby responders of a cardiac emergency through a “CPR needed” alert, providing a map of the emergency’s location and identifying nearby approved AEDs. County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Horn, Supervisor Ron Roberts, San Diego Fire-Rescue Chief Javier Mainar and San Diego County Fire Chiefs’ Association President Don Butz and other local fire and government officials on Monday asked for the public’s help in using the app to locate additional AEDs in the County as part of the crowdsourcing campaign. Members of the public who register the most AEDs will earn prizes as part of a contest organized by the PulsePoint Foundation. Prizes will include an iPad donated by American Medical Response, an autographed football from the San Diego Chargers, Amazon gift cards donated by PulsePoint, a family four pack of tickets to the USS Midway Museum, two pairs of One-Day Explorer passes to Balboa Park donated by the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership and an autographed Padres hat donated by the team. “Introducing this app today is yet another way to make heart health a priority and to boost survival rates for cardiac arrest victims,” said Bill Horn, Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors. “Now citizens can play a key role. We need your help.” Horn also announced that the County plans to purchase about 30 new AED devices to place in Sheriff’’s supervisor vehicles. The new app was developed by the nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation and distributed by emergency medical device company Physio-Control, Inc. San Diego has used the PulsePoint AED app to build one of the most extensive and model AED registries in the country, a news release from the county states. “This new technology is going to help us create the most comprehensive database of AEDs we’ve ever had in the region,” said Supervisor Ron Roberts. “As citizens, we can help one another in previously unheard-of ways.” Roberts said the app is just the latest heart health advancement in the region, along with Love Your Heart, Strike Out Stroke and Sidewalk CPR day. The PulsePoint AED app allows anyone in the community to submit an AED, including the exact location, description and photo of the AED. All submitted AEDs are verified by San Diego EMS professionals before they appear in PulsePoint Respond. When PulsePoint Respond issues a “CPR needed” alert, providing the location of the emergency, it also provides the location of the nearest AEDs. San Diego Fire-Rescue Chief Javier Mainar states, “We’ve already had great success registering more than a thousand AEDs across the City of San Diego through the PulsePoint AED app. “We’re asking for citizens to help build out a similar system throughout the region.” Chief Don Butz, the President of the San Diego County Fire Chiefs’ Association, said fire agencies around the county are behind the effort. “Every minute does make a difference when it comes to sudden cardiac arrest,” said Butz. “Each minute a victim waits for CPR, their chance of survival drops by up to 10 percent. In those moments before our first responders arrive, citizens can make a difference. Knowing where AEDs are is a big piece of the puzzle.” You can download the apps through Google Play or the Apple App Store to start registering AEDs with PulsePoint AED and be eligible to win a prize. You’re also encouraged to get trained in CPR and how to use AEDs and sign up to receive the alerts when your help may be needed. The American Red Cross, American Heart Association, and San Diego Project Heartbeat provide trainings throughout the year. You may just help save someone’s life. For more information, visit the County’s PulsePoint information page or to download the apps, visit PulsePoint.
COOLER WEATHER COMING
March 16, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – After the weekend’s record-breaking temperatures, a high pressure system is forecast to bring cooler weather for the rest of this week. The National Weather Service predicts a slight chance of showers over the mountains late Wednesday and Thursday, but any rainfall will be limited to just sprinkles, less than one-tenth of an inch.
GANG CONSPIRACY CHARGES DROPPED IN CONTROVERSIAL CASES
East County News Service March 16, 2015 (San Diego)—Earlier this week, we reported on controversial gang conspiracy charges filed by San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis against men who were accused of benefiting off crimes that they were not accused of committing. Specifically, those crimes included nine shootings committed by the Lincoln Park gang. The American Civil Liberties Union had challenged the charges on constitutional grounds in an amicus, or friends of the court, brief. Today, San Diego Superior Court Judge Louis Hanoian dismissed the conspiracy charges against 14 defendants, including rapper Tiny Doo, whose real name is Brandon Duncan, and co-defendant Aaron Harvey. Dumanis had alleged that Duncan benefitted off the crimes through rap music lyrics about gang shootings. Harvey had reportedly posted gang signs and photos taken with gang members on his Facebook page. Both have claimed they were not members of the gang. Gang membership on its own is not a crime, but if Dumanis’ efforts had prevailed, it effectively would be. She is the first prosecutor in the state who has sought to hold gang members accountable for the crimes of fellow gang members under Penal Code 182.5, a gang conspiracy law passed by voters. Nobody has been charged with the actual killings, leading Judge Hanoian to ask, “How can you attach a conspiracy to a crime that doesn’t have a defendant?” The Judge ruled that defendants cannot face conspiracy charges without a specific crime attached to it, so he dismissed the most serious charges against 14 defendants charged with benefiting off crimes committed by gang members. The judge let stand charges against other defendants who evidence suggested may actually have ties to violent crimes including attempted murder. Judge Hanoian is the second judge to dismiss gang conspiracy charges related to the Lincoln Park gang. Judge David Gill earlier this year had split the group of defendants in half, and gang conspiracy charges against the other defendants were also dismissed. However in an unrelated case, Judge Jeffrey Fraser has ruled that there is enough evidence to move forward in prosecuting a similar case against 18 alleged members of a gang in the Southecrests area, UT San Diego reports. The District Attorney’s office has not yet announced whether it will appeal the decision to a higher court. Tanya Sierra, spokeswoman for the district attorney, issued a statement indicating that “While a debate over the law can be constructive and educational, combating the scourge of deadly gang violence remains our focus.” She added, “It’s unfortunate that in spite of the evidence transparently available in the court record and court’s rulings that clearly establish their active gang membership during the time of the shootings, the media and community has allowed itself to be manipulated by individuals who are misrepresenting their true level of gang involvement.” Outside the courthouse after the ruling, Duncan stated, “It’s a hard situation when you know you had nothing to do with those crimes,” UT San Diego reports. Harvey voiced his resolve to work toward repeal of the penal code section in question. “This was just Round One,” he stated, Voice of San Diego reports. Prior to the ruling, Harvey’s attorney Edward Kinsey told Voice of San Diego that believes the District Attorney may seek to refile charges. “I think that gang documentation oversight is something that needs to be done,” he stated. “That is the more important issue, as many young black men are unjustly swept up in this craziness.”
VFW DONATES SOUND SYSTEM FOR DEHESA SCHOOL
East County News Service March 16, 2015 (Dehesa) — The Dehesa School now has a brand new sound system, thanks to a donation from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9578 in Alpine. The donation enabled the school to purchase a new mixer, two speakers with stands, cables and three wireless microphones. Nancy Hauer, site administrator at Dehesa School, voiced gratitude for the donation. “For two years our 5th grade class has performed for Veterans on Veterans Day. The Post loves the performances, but struggles to hear them due to our outdated sound system. They generously offered to purchase a new sound system for our school,” she says. “Ricky, who is in charge of the Post’s karaoke also donated a new CD player. Our staff and students are beyond excited to have a new state of the art sound system. The Post’s generosity is incredible.” She adds, “Our students enjoy their interaction with Veterans not only at Veteran’s Day but also at Christmas and Valentine’s Day. We are very fortunate to have developed such an amazing partnership with this organization.”